Pages

Best Book Ever: Older Teens (Mature YA)

Welcome to Best Book Ever!
Each week a group of authors, bloggers, and book lovers come together to
give a shout out to their favorite books based on a specific theme.
This week our theme is:

Week 14: Older Teens (Mature YA)

My BBE for Older teens would have to be the Meredith Gentry series by
Laurell K Hamilton. They are unequivocally my favourite books in a long
time.

My partner recommended them to me because his boss at work
was reading them. So I picked up A Kiss of Shadows (book 1). I will
admit that it took me around the first 50-70 pages to get into it. I
wasn't used to LKH's style of writing. But once I got past that first
little hurdle, I was in love. I then went out and bought the rest of the
series in one go and have now been dying for another installment since
Divine Misdemeanors.

I love the whole world that LKH created. It is so absorbing and magical.

They do come with a warning from me though, they contain a fair bit of sex - they are certainly not for the faint hearted.

I read all four books in Diana
Peterfreund's Secret Society Girl series very recently -- I tore through
them back-to-back and adored every minute. The series takes place on
the campus of Eli University, a fictional Ivy League college, but it was
so well developed that I could almost believe it was real. I wanted
Rose & Grave -- the secret society that taps the heroine, Amy-- to
be real. And I wanted to be able to go back to my college days so I
could join... if they'd have me.

I loved Amy. She was a heroine
with opinions and she wasn't afraid to share and act on them. She
rescues others more often than she needs rescuing, grows over the course
of the series, and is so relatable, flaws and all. Amy's struggles to
balance friendships, relationships, and her education, while worrying
about her future AND dealing with the challenges of her secret society
were so true to that period of life. Throughout all four books and the
different Rose & Grave dramas, the books stayed fun-- they'll go on
my re-read pile, and I bet they'd earn a spot on yours too.

Even though Brenna, the main
character, is a sophomore, Double Clutch is definitely a novel older YA
can relate to. There's some heavy-duty stuff going on in this story, as
Brenna tries to navigate public high school and all the ensuing drama.
(She was homeschooled her freshman year, because she lived in Denmark).
The year away was enough to change a lot of Brenna's former classmates,
and as she settles into "her spot," she finds some surprises. Like being
a great natural runner and being placed on the school's team. And the
sweet boy Jake she meets at the technical school, who steals her heart
but has a mysterious past involving dark, brooding Saxon (who has his
own pull on Brenna). There are situations in the book more suitable for
older YA readers, and I think they'll be able to relate to Brenna's
struggle to figure everything out even if she is only a sophomore.

Thinking of all the books Ive read lately, and
picking from my favorite YA reads. I think what I would consider the BBE
for an older YA audience is Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. This book is
defiantly not for the younger crowd just because of the content inside
its pages. That being said Forbidden is one if not the top book that has
left its mark on me. Its such an emotional powerhouse of a book. Even
though the basis of the story is a big taboo, the way Tabitha wrote her
tale, you tend to overlook what is going on and focus on the love. If
you want to be moved by a book, read Forbidden.

This week's topic was surprisingly difficult. I wasn't sure if "Mature"
or "Older" YA was meant to refer to the age of the protagonist or books
with themes and subjects suitable for older readers. Here's the thing:
Every book I thought of that might apply to the latter, I quickly
decided could and should be read by young adults of all ages. I tend to
give readers a lot of credit in that department. And it turns out there
isn't much YA out there featuring older teens. I thought of recommending
some "adult" books that would appeal to older teens, who would be
reading up anyway, but decided to compromise and recommend Tempestby Julie Cross, one of my favorite recent reads.

Tempest features a 19-year-old protagonist,
Jackson Meyer, who can travel in time. He spends much of the book
alternating between the years 2009 and 2007, and trying to pass himself
off as his 17-year-old self in the past. In addition to being an
intriguing and tense science fiction adventure, it's also a mystery (how
do Jackson's powers work, and why are shady government types after him
and his friends?) and a romance (Jackson's focus is Holly Flynn, before
she started dating him at 17 and when they're a hot and heavy couple at
19). Though Jackson is a little older than we see in most YA, the book
isn't too mature for younger readers; there's some violence, but the
book is overall very thoughtful and readable for a wide readership. I
loved the twisty plot in this one and think it's well worth a look if
you haven't discovered it yet!

3 comments:

I'm slowly building my YA reading so for the time being, can't say I have a fave. The ones mentioned here sound like some very interesting books. Better check my TBR list to make sure I have them. Thank you.

Subscribe To

According to FTC guidelines, The Best Books Ever is required to note all books that are given to our site in exchange for a review. Book reviews note whether or not a book was received for free. Receipt of a book from a publisher, author, or other entity is not a guarantee of a positive review, or of a review at all. The manner in which we receive books does not influence the content of our reviews.